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SENIOR CITIZENS: THE SADDEST SIGHT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

In the wealthiest country on the face of the planet, I believe the saddest sight that I have seen in any newspaper article is a picture of an elderly woman, dressed in what appeared to be her “good” dress lying fully clothed with her purse clutched tightly in her hand on a bed in a rather decrepit motel, rented on a weekly basis using a voucher. She wasn’t going anywhere – just existing. I remember these picture years after and continue to ask myself, “how the hell can this happen in our nation?”

Now, my sister shows up to tell me she went to one of her club meetings where a lone Christmas tree stood decorated with little slips of paper. Each piece of paper containing the wish of an impoverished senior citizen. My sister took two ornaments off the tree and the result is heartbreaking.

One contained a request for a gift card to a grocery store. The other a request for a warm set of pajamas and slippers. Neither person requested what might be considered a “present” in this land of opportunity and abundance.

It doesn’t matter who you help or how you help … just that you help.

Don’t turn your back on the aged, infirm, poor, and the suffering. Consider giving directly, without going through a charity that will siphon off their share for overhead.

Bottom line…

I see bond issues for millions or even billions of dollars to be spent on “affordable housing” or “assistance to the poor,” so why do most of the dollars wind up in the pockets of politically-connected special interests? Why is it that our basic infrastructure continues to decay while money is still being spent on silly, meaningless art projects and other such nonsense?

What is lacking in our country is leadership. Leadership on the local, state, and federal level. Leadership that is not self-serving and politically self-perpetuating.

While your first duty should be to take care of immediate family and then extended relatives, considering giving a little more to another person this holiday season. Not the professional panhandler with the sign in a high0traffic area, but someone who looks like they could use a few extra dollars or piece of clothing.

Let this holiday season be a joyous one for you and your family – and try to spread the joy in your immediate area.

-- steve

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

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SENIOR CITIZENS: THE SADDEST SIGHT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

In the wealthiest country on the face of the planet, I believe the saddest sight that I have seen in any newspaper article is a picture of an elderly woman, dressed in what appeared to be her “good” dress lying fully clothed with her purse clutched tightly in her hand on a bed in a rather decrepit motel, rented on a weekly basis using a voucher. She wasn’t going anywhere – just existing. I remember these picture years after and continue to ask myself, “how the hell can this happen in our nation?”

Now, my sister shows up to tell me she went to one of her club meetings where a lone Christmas tree stood decorated with little slips of paper. Each piece of paper containing the wish of an impoverished senior citizen. My sister took two ornaments off the tree and the result is heartbreaking.

One contained a request for a gift card to a grocery store. The other a request for a warm set of pajamas and slippers. Neither person requested what might be considered a “present” in this land of opportunity and abundance.

It doesn’t matter who you help or how you help … just that you help.

Don’t turn your back on the aged, infirm, poor, and the suffering. Consider giving directly, without going through a charity that will siphon off their share for overhead.

Bottom line…

I see bond issues for millions or even billions of dollars to be spent on “affordable housing” or “assistance to the poor,” so why do most of the dollars wind up in the pockets of politically-connected special interests? Why is it that our basic infrastructure continues to decay while money is still being spent on silly, meaningless art projects and other such nonsense?

What is lacking in our country is leadership. Leadership on the local, state, and federal level. Leadership that is not self-serving and politically self-perpetuating.

While your first duty should be to take care of immediate family and then extended relatives, considering giving a little more to another person this holiday season. Not the professional panhandler with the sign in a high0traffic area, but someone who looks like they could use a few extra dollars or piece of clothing.

Let this holiday season be a joyous one for you and your family – and try to spread the joy in your immediate area.